Show Notes
A podcast based on the seven inch singles in my record collection, the episode is a guide to Yacht Rock
More from Fenster’s Funky Sevens
Taking the tune "Song For Shelter" by Fatboy Slim featuring Roland Clark (also known as "I Get Deep") from 2000 as a focal point. I go back and trace the development of the style of vocal delivery used in Spoken Word House Music; moving through churches, publishing houses and civil rights rallies to the mid 80s House Music and Poetry Slam scenes of Chicago and beyond.
Dublin City in Ireland is currently experiencing one of the worst housing crises in the world, Property prices have increased so much that only a handful of working people can afford to buy a home. The rental market is in chaos too, with very few places for rent and the accommodation that is available is often very expensive and low quality. 1000s of people are being made homeless every year. In this episode, I try to tell the history of housing in Dublin and the causes of the current housing crisis through seven Irish songs, ranging from folk to pop to hip hop, with lots of clips from musicians, politicians, historians, analysts and of course, the people of the great city of Dublin.
If your Instagram algorithm is tuned to serve you wholesome musical moments, you might have seen a video recently of an Alaskan bluegrass band (The Heists with Josh Fortenbery) playing the song "East Virginia Blues" with vocals from a Mongolian throat singer (Bataa Jambaldorj of Nomads). It's a joyous meeting of musical styles and cultures.
In the last episode, I inadvertently took a turn into the realm of true crime podcasting, and while I'm not intentionally planning this, it seems this episode could be filed under the heading of self help. Back in the 80s, I heard a song, Dignity by Deacon Blue, which explored themes I hadn't come across in a song before. It's about finding meaning in the drudgery of manual labour and how the right attitude can become inspirational and filled with joy and hope. Subconsciously, over the years. I've been drawn to other songs that dealt with similar themes and now I've collected these songs into a sort of mental health journey.The modern world can lead people to act in a way that might cause them to lose their dignity, maybe the messages in these songs could help someone regain it. If that's not too lofty a claim. Ronan Hession/Mumblin' Deaf Ro's music https://mumblindeafro.bandcamp.com/music
I'm not exactly sure what this episode is, I guess it's a kind of audio essay based on seven "ghost songs" (songs with the word ghost in the title) and how they relate to some moments from my life. Maybe it's something of a personal memoir through song,;as pretension as that sounds. The last 30, or so minutes are more of a documentary about a very sad and tragic event in Dublin's history, so be prepared for that if you are of a sensitive nature. So please have a listen and enjoy these Ghost Memories